Why Studying Abroad in Florence Was Such A Difficult Decision

Having such a close-knit friend group back at Penn State, I was definitely unsure about going abroad, especially if it meant going alone. I had never been out of the country before, but always dreamed of traveling. Most of my friends were either staying there for the semester or studying abroad in Barcelona. Personally, I preferred what Italy had to offer though, so I mad the courageous choice to call it my home for these next four months.

The Transformative First Month

Originally, I was excited to go somewhere where no one knew my name. I wanted a fresh start, to truly find what makes me happy and meet new people. Being a pretty confident and outgoing person, I thought this would be fairly easy, but I could not have been more wrong. Upon arriving in Florence, I was overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions, feeling stressed, anxious, and homesick. I seriously considered calling it quits and booking a flight back to the states. However, I knew that I needed to see this through, knowing that it was probably the best thing for me.

What I did not know about studying aboard though was that almost everyone comes with their best friends. It was challenging at first to meet people because in my classes everyone seemed to be very close. My only "friends" were my roommates initially and that kind of scarred me. I was not used to living somewhere where all the American students were so spread out either. I am the type of person that likes having options, so being limited socially was a major shook. With the six hour time difference, I could not even get in touch with people back home easily, adding to my stress.

Luckily though, I finally was able to meet this cool group of people while exploring one night. This group of girls made me feel so at home. They made me realize that it was possible to find people by being myself. They reminded me of why I decided to go to Florence over Barcelona in the first place. I was beginning to feel a lot better about my decision. Unfortunately, they were at the end of their time in Florence, whereas I just started.

Nothing seemed to be going my way. I was afraid that I would never find my people to travel with, that I would just be stuck in Florence all semester. I knew that being upset over this would not help anything though. I knew that I needed to really put myself out there and try harder. Although I would consider myself pretty extroverted, I realized that this is only the case when I have a close friend with me. It was so hard to find the confidence to approach people in my classes on my own. I was resorting back to my shy childhood years and that was not the answer. Slowly, I started to find people in my classes. I began to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. People were actually more open to meeting people than I thought, despite them already coming here with friends. By overcomming the awkwardness of reaching out to many people with rejection being a high possibility, I was finally able to start making genuine friends, which is what I ultimately wanted out of abroad. I had found my people to eat, travel, and enjoy Italy with at last.

My Challenge For You

Although initially challenging, going abroad alone is something that I would recommend for everyone. I never learned more about myself as a person so quickly. I thought I had a good sense of who I was after my first year of college, but that was just beginning. Over the last month, I truly realized who I am and what I value here in Florence all because I made the bold decision to branch out from my friends at Penn State.